Common Essay Questions

Common Essay Questions

Get acquainted with the most common law-exam essay problems, including issue spotters, short essays, applied skills problems, and policy queries.

Transcript

Welcome to Common Essay Questions! In this lesson, we’ll cover the four types of essay questions you’ll encounter most often on your law exams. They are: issue spotters, short essays, applied-skills problems, and policy queries.

I. Issue Spotters

The predominant essay question in law school, and the one that appears on every bar exam in the nation, is the dreaded issue spotter, which you might also call the long essay. The issue spotter comprises two basic components: a hypothetical fact...

Lessons

1. Introduction
  • Welcome to Acing Your Law Exam
2. Preparing from Day One
  • The Preparation Marathon
  • The Five Traits of Highly Successful Law Students
  • Reading Cases like a Rock Star
  • Briefing Cases Efficiently
  • Using Class Time Effectively
  • Outlining to Win
  • Catching Up When You're Behind
3. Knowing What to Expect and Keeping Your Focus
  • Common Essay Questions
  • Demystifying the Curve
  • Surviving Exam Season
  • Exam Aftermath: The Final Hurdle
  • Looking Back to Move Ahead
4. Exam Day Strategies
  • Budgeting Your Exam Time Wisely
  • Understanding the Questions and Facts
  • Spotting the Issues
  • Organizing Your Answer
5. Writing Winning Essay Answers
  • The Professor's Expectations
  • The CREAC Format
  • Winning Applications
  • What to Do When You Don't Know
6. Handling Unusual Exam Formats
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 1)
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 2)
  • True-False Questions
  • Open-Book and Take-Home Exams